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Major League Baseball remains the only major North American professional sports league without a salary cap in place. MLB's current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire in Dec. 2026 and commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly pushing for that to change in the next round of negotiations.

In a recent episode of , MLB Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer said the players hold "the right amount of skepticism" about a potential cap according to a new report from 's Evan Drellich.

“The league and some of the individual owners have made no secret that they would like to see a system that they tried to get for 50 years, which is a salary-cap system,” Meyer said on via .

Drellich's report noted that the skepticism from the players stems from the push for a salary cap coming from Manfred and team ownership groups, who have pitched a cap numerous times in prior negotiations.

“The pitch is like, ‘Hey, this is really good for the players,’” Meyer continued via . “One of the things players immediately seize on is, ‘Well, if this is so good for us, then why are they pushing it so hard? Why do they want it so desperately? Why did the other leagues lock out players to get it?’ Guys immediately understand that the reason they want that system is not because they want to pay players more.”

Reports surfaced in April that MLB officials were considering both a salary cap and floor in the next CBA. The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers have become one of the most dominant teams in baseball in part because there is no limit on how much money they can spend to sign the best players. This has agitated other owners, presumably because they don't have endless cash to put down on massive contract after massive contract.

The MLBPA, understandably, likely doesn't want to put a limit on how much cash can get handed to players. They would be interested in a salary floor—a minimum amount each team must spend annually—but that may only come at the cost of an added cap. We'll see where conversations land when CBA negotiations heat up following this season.

You can watch Meyer's full conversation on below:

Leeds United travelled to the City Ground on Sunday with just one away win under their belt this season in the Premier League.

Thankfully, they were about to do battle with a Nottingham Forest side who had only won once on their patch all season long in league action.

But, come the end of the frantic affair, the Tricky Trees collected their first home victory since August, as Sean Dyche’s men comfortably got the better of Daniel Farke’s visitors in a 3-1 win, having notched up 14 efforts at Lucas Perri’s shaky goal.

Journalist Graham Smyth labelled Leeds’ overall performance at the final whistle as “desperately poor” as the West Yorkshire side now hang precariously above the dreaded relegation zone.

Jaka Bijol – in particular – had another afternoon to forget in the heart of the away team’s leaky defence.

Bijol's poor performance vs Forest

Bijol’s day wasn’t completely pitiful, with the Slovenian centre-back coming away from the 3-1 defeat with four of his six duels being successfully won.

Unfortunately for the £15m summer recruit, regardless of having some positives to latch on to, he was still caught out by a moment of ball-watching to hand the hosts the decisive 2-1 lead, as Morgan Gibbs-White evaded his marker to head home.

It was a nicely executed move by Forest, with Omari Hutchinson getting the better of Gabriel Gudmundsson’s lax marking, before putting it on a plate for Gibbs-White.

But, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers playmaker was given far too much room to head past Perri, off the back of Bijol being caught in no man’s land.

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Having also struggled against Brighton and Hove Albion on the road, before this slip-up in Nottinghamshire, when winning zero tackles and just one duel, it could well be time for Farke to move the former Udinese man back to the bench, for the more Premier League-ready Pascal Struijk to take over.

Bijol isn’t the only defensive option who could now be dropped by Farke, however.

Leeds dud had his worst game of the season

In all fairness, nobody donning Leeds’ changed strip of blue was trudging off at the end of the 3-1 loss, overjoyed with what they offered up.

Ethan Ampadu definitely won’t have been thrilled with what he conjured up as Farke’s supposed midfield anchor, with the Welshman both uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at his feet and surprisingly weak when launching himself into duels.

Minutes played

90

Shots

2

Key passes

0

Dribbles

0

Touches

57

Accurate passes

31/41 (76%)

Possession lost

15x

Tackles won

1/2

Fouls

3

Total duels won

4/9

The promotion-winning captain fell way below the standards he had previously set when lining up for the West Yorkshire giants, with Ampadu coming away from the 3-1 loss with only 76% of his passes reaching their chosen target. On average, this season, so far, he typically completes 86% of his passes.

Moreover, the below-par number 4 would lack his usual bite and drive, with only one of his tackles being successfully won, which led to Ampadu barely laying a glove on the tricky Dan Ndoye early on, before his quick feet down the flank led to Ibrahim Sangare firing home the equaliser.

Ampadu also didn’t help Bijol out when Gibbs-White sent the City Ground into raptures, with the former Chelsea midfielder also guilty of idly watching the ball, before the match-winning effort was prodded home.

For a defensive option that usually prides himself on winning duels and being energetic – as seen in him averaging 4.3 duels won this season – it really did feel like a low point for him against the Tricky Trees on Sunday afternoon, as Farke now contemplates whether dropping one of his “indispensable” promotion heroes, as he was once labelled by scout Jacek Kulig, is the correct call.

Ampadu faced the media after, calling for togetherness as Leeds attempt to navigate the choppy seas of a relegation battle, with his concrete starting spot now up for grabs, as the likes of Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev eye up a spot in defensive midfield, instead.

Farke must ditch Calvert-Lewin to unleash the "best finisher" at Leeds

This Leeds star can get them scoring goals again, amid Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s woes.

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 9, 2025

Rawalpindi will host two games and Lahore will host five, including the final

Danyal Rasool07-Sep-2025Pakistan will host a T20I tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in November. The series will begin on 17 November, with all teams playing each other twice. The first two games will game place in Rawalpindi, with the other five, including the final on 29 November, in Lahore.This is the second time this season that a bilateral T20I series Pakistan were scheduled to host has ended up being a tri-series. Afghanistan were scheduled to play a three-match T20I series in August, which was later converted into a tri-series involving the UAE, the final of which takes place later today.Similarly, Sri Lanka were scheduled to play a three-ODI, three-T20I bilateral series in Pakistan, but the T20I series has now been replaced by yet another tri-series. ESPNcricinfo understands those bilateral T20Is will no longer happen, though a three-match ODI series is still scheduled to go ahead, with a schedule expected in due course.Schedule

17 Nov – Pak v Afg
19 Nov – SL vs Afg
22 Nov – Pak vs SL
23 Nov – Pak vs Afg
25 Nov – SL vs Afg
27 Nov – Pak v SL
29 Nov – Final

This is set to be the first time Afghanistan play Pakistan in Pakistan. Afghanistan have played in Pakistan before in 2023, when they competed in two matches of the Asia Cup, as well as earlier this year for the Champions Trophy. However, they did not face Pakistan on either of those occasions, and this series comes amidst a general deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.The series begins nine days after the conclusion of South Africa’s all-format tour of Pakistan. Pakistan have made no secret of their desire to play as much T20I cricket as possible ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan playing all their games in Sri Lanka.”We look forward to hosting Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for Pakistan’s maiden T20I tri-series, PCB COO Sumair Ahmed said in a statement on the PCB website. “This event will not only offer excellent preparation for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but also present fans with exciting cricket across venues.”

Following his mid-season arrival at Manchester City, Nico Gonzalez went through the strange experience of being hailed as an oven-ready replacement for Rodri during his first week at the Etihad Stadium, only to then be ignored by Pep Guardiola during the most important stretch of the campaign. Any fears, however, that he would become an expensive flop have since disappeared, with Gonzalez having stepped back in to anchor City's resurgence as they emerge as Arsenal’s main rivals in the Premier League title race.

The midfielder, who is known just as Nico to his team-mates even though he has a namesake in the squad in Nico O’Reilly, looked like a luxury signing when he arrived from Porto for £50 million ($65m) on transfer deadline day back in February 3. The son of Deportivo La Coruna legend Fran and a Barcelona academy graduate, Gonzalez arrived as a barely disguised stand-in for Rodri while the Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder continued his recovery from an ACL injury.

Guardiola did not try to hide it, hailing the new signing as ‘Mini-Rodri’ after an excellent Premier League debut against Newcastle in which he towered above everyone else in midfield and laid the platform for fellow January addition Omar Marmoush to shine in a crushing 4-0 win. It has not been an entirely smooth ride since, but in the last couple of months Gonzalez has developed into one of City’s most important players as they prepare to face the Magpies again on Saturday.

Getty Images SportBig presence

Although he was raised in Barcelona’s La Masia academy and raised by one of Spain’s most technical footballers in his father, Guardiola appeared to value Gonzalez’s physical attributes the most when he first watched him up close. 

"The presence of Nico helped a lot, the 50-50s. If there are 10 balls. he wins seven of them," the coach said after the Spaniard’s impressive debut against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium. "He's like a mini-Rodri. It's a big compliment. He's miles away from Rodri, he's the best, but we have the feeling he'll help us in the last part of the season with his presence."

Guardiola started Gonzalez in City's next five league games, although he couldn’t quite build on his exploits against Newcastle, as the dethroned champions lost to Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, leaving them with a fight on their hands to finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.

AdvertisementGetty Bottom of the pile

Yet in the thick of that battle, Guardiola preferred other options. Gonzalez was an unused substitute for the derby at Manchester United in April and for the crunch game with Aston Villa later that month, which was effectively a shootout for a place in the top-five. In the end, he started just three of the eight matches in the Premier League run-in. 

Gonzalez, meanwhile, played a grand total of 37 minutes in City's run to the FA Cup final, getting one minute in the semi against Forest and none in the defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley – and that was despite Mateo Kovacic being out injured. Gonzalez’s situation did not improve at the Club World Cup, where he appeared in just one of City’s four games as Rodri returned to the fold.

Gonzalez’s lack of playing time led to reports that the player was open to cutting short his stay and leaving in the summer. However, that is understood to not be true, with sources insisting Gonzalez had no interest in leaving. City instead decreased their squad size by offloading Ilkay Gundogan, among others.

GettySeizing his chance

Gonzalez started the first two games of the new season before retaking his place on the bench at Brighton when Rodri came back in following another injury setback. But with the 29-year-old’s return from knee surgery continuing to be disrupted by a series of niggling issues, Gonzalez got another chance and seized it. 

He has started nine of City’s last 12 games in all competitions and has arguably been their most important player in the last two months, with the obvious exception of Erling Haaland.

"It’s not easy sometimes arriving in a new club and playing a different style to maybe playing in the past," Guardiola said of Gonzalez last month. "But we’re really pleased with his behaviour and I’m pretty (sure) he’ll get better and better."

Gonzalez is far from the first player to need a transition season when getting to grips with Guardiola's methods. Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol and even Rodri are just some of the big-money signings who took their time to adapt to City’s way of playing. Gonzalez, though, appears to close to cracking the code within 10 months of first playing under the Catalan coach.

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Getty Fundamental

While Gonzalez fell behind Kovacic, Gundogan and occasionally Bernardo Silva and even Kevin De Bruyne in the holding midfield role last season, he is now only second to Rodri, who last started a game on October 5 and who has only played 60 or more minutes on five occasions this season.

"Right now, the first option when Rodri cannot play is absolutely Nico Gonzalez," Guardiola said before City’s game against Bournemouth earlier this month. He went on to dominate that match, playing important roles in both of Haaland’s goals by progressing the ball.

Gonzalez also impressed in City’s 2-0 win over Everton in October and in the Carabao Cup win over Swansea City, brushing off an error that led to the opponents scoring by shepherding City to a comeback win.

"Now he’s fundamental for us," said Guardiola after City’s win in South Wales. "He’s so young, a lovely guy. I’m really pleased because these types of football players that are incredibly coachable – they deserve the best."

NEW YORK — Garrett Crochet recoils at the premise. At 26, after 205 ⅓ innings (most in the American League), 255 strikeouts (most in the majors) and a 2.59 ERA (third in the AL) for the 89-win Red Sox, on the cusp of starting Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Yankees, he’s finally the guy he always knew he could be, right?

“Um,” he says quickly. “Becoming it.” 

For starters, he didn’t always know he could be this kind of starter. Not until he began throwing 91 mph as a left-handed high school senior did any Division I programs show interest, and even at Tennessee, he spent half his time pitching in relief. When the White Sox drafted him No. 11 in June 2020 and promoted him to the big-league bullpen three months later, he was just thrilled to be in the majors. So he was not exactly clawing at the walls of the bullpen asking to be unleashed on the rotation. 

“I thought that I could do it,” he says slowly. “I wasn’t sure.”

Even that degree of faith began to feel misplaced. In 2021, he threw 54 ⅓ innings in relief and felt gassed. “And I’m, like, last on my team!” he recalls. He set for himself the goal of hitting 80 or 90 innings in ’22, then putting himself in position for a few spot starts in ’23. “And then I blew out [my elbow],” he says. “It was like, ”

The Chicago brass knew he had the talent to be a frontline starter—a four-seamer that touches 100 mph plus perhaps the best slider in the game will usually play—but they wanted to see if he could develop the stamina. So after he finished rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, they let him spend the winter before the 2024 season stretching out. He was so dominant in spring training that they made him the Opening Day starter—his first major league start. 

“I was just like, ” he recalls. “”

Nottingham Forest have begun to see an excellent upturn in their form since Sean Dyche took over the club. He’s won three from his first six games, including Saturday’s exceptional 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. It has certainly been a positive start to his tenure.

Indeed, there have been some excellent individual performances since the Englishman became the Forest manager. Morgan Gibbs-White has been one of the standouts, with three goals in his last three Premier League games. The likes of Nicolo Savona and Igor Jesus have also been in impressive form.

With his side in excellent form, Dyche could well turn to the transfer market as he looks to add more quality to the Forest squad.

The latest on Nottingham Forest's transfer plans

It seems like the East Midlands side are looking to add depth in midfield. Reports in the past few days suggest they are plotting a move for talented Belgian midfielder Nathan De Cat, although the likes of Bayern Munich are challengers for the 17-year-old’s signature.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, if that move does not materialise, Forest are also considering Everton midfielder and former loanee James Garner.

According to a report from Football Insider, the club are “looking at him” and could make a move, with his contract up in 18 months.

However, this will not be an easy deal to do. There are a host of Premier League clubs interested in the former Manchester United man, with Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United all keeping tabs.

As for the price, he could cost upwards of £20m, according to a report in mid-November.

Why Garner would be a good signing for Forest

24-year-old Garner has been pivotal for the Toffees this season. He has excelled as a full-back and in the middle of the park, with Everton gaffer David Moyes relying on that versatility several times this season.

Indeed, Garner has played 11 times in the Premier League, operating in different areas of the pitch. He’s played three games as a left-back, scoring a thunderbolt in one of those, seven times in the heart of the midfield, and once at right-back.

Of course, a move to Forest would see Garner return to the club. He played a historic part during his first stint, a loan from Man United.

He played 69 times in Garribaldi Red, scoring and assisting 18 times, and helping Forest return to the Premier League. Statman Dave described him as a “special” player during his time at the club.

If Garner was to make a move back to the City Ground, and Dyche utilised him in midfield, he might well form a strong partnership with Gibbs-White. Unsurprisingly, the England international is a key player under Forest’s new boss.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder has been in excellent form under Dyche, with the third of his three goals in the top flight coming last weekend at Anfield. However, he has been a consistent performer in Garibaldi Red his whole time at the club.

He’s recently brought up his 50th goal contribution for the club, and has 22 goals and 31 assists in 135 games. Gibbs-White excels as a number 10, but there are times when he needs to play deeper to help Forest out defensively.

The signing of Garner, however, could change that. The Everton man is someone who could play with Gibbs-White in midfield and take some of the defensive responsibility off the Forest number 10. His defensive numbers are impressive, averaging four tackles and interceptions per game this season, for example.

Defensive 3rd tackles won

1.36

Top 11%

Interceptions

1.45

Top 11%

Clearances

2.73

​​​​​​​Top 9%

Blocks

1.64

Top 19%

This sort of defensive nous could make Gibbs-White unplayable for Dyche’s side. With a player like Garner behind him, and Elliot Anderson of course, it might mean he is less shackled defensively, thus being able to be more effective going forward.

This midfield dynamic could hugely benefit Forest, and make them a more potent team in attack. In this market, £20m is a nominal fee for a player who knows the club and can benefit the side.

Not Zinchenko: Dyche could now drop “incredible” Nottingham Forest star

Sean Dyche could ditch this Nottingham Forest star alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko for his Premier League return.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

Neymar went against advice from doctors to play through on for Santos as they secured a crucial win in their bid to beat the drop from Brazil's top flight. Santos hosted Brasileirao footers Sport Recife and secured what could prove to be a vital three points as they look to stave off the threat of relegation. And Neymar was key in a 3-0 victory that may have ended the forward's season.

Neymar influential as Santos down Sport Recife

Neymar fired Santos ahead midway through the first half and the hosts were two goals to the good 10 minutes later after a Lucas Kal own goal doubled Santos' advantage. And the three points were sewn up midway through the second half as Neymar turned provider for Joao Schmidt to confirm a 3-0 victory.

The win extended Santos' unbeaten run to four matches as they secured just their 10th league victory of the season. Santos now sit two points above the relegation zone ahead of their final two games of the campaign as they look to beat the drop.

Relegation rivals Vitoria host high-flying Mirassol, while Fortaleza host Atletico MG on Sunday evening as the battle to beat the drop goes to the wire. Neymar, though, has done all he can at the risk of aggravating a knee injury that could now rule him out for the final two games of the season.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSantos had a 'plan' for their talisman

Neymar has endured an injury-hit campaign, meaning he has been restricted to just 15 league starts this season. The Brazilian missed the recent 1-1 draw with Internacional with a knee issue, though the plan had always been for Neymar to play some part against Sport Recife over the weekend.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Internacional, Santos manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda revealed what he had in mind for Neymar, stating: "The plan is for him to be in the match against Sport. I have to talk to him, I'm not in his physical presence and I will respect Neymar's decisions.

"But his commitment is to be there, he always wants to be there. Before the Mirassol game, he felt discomfort in his knee. He also felt it during the game. The following day he was experiencing significant discomfort in that knee. We know we have games every three days. With travel, we'll arrive in Santos tomorrow afternoon… He's a player we need for all three rounds and he'll help us. He's our leader on the field. He'll be there. He felt he wouldn't be able to meet the demands of today's game."

Neymar to miss the final two games

Neymar trained ahead of the game against Sport Recife even after it was recommended that he undergo an arthroscopy in order to repair a tear in the meniscus region of his left knee. The issue is said to be causing Neymar persistent pain, but he was willing to play through the pain in order to boost Santos' survival chances.

And while he defied medical advice to play a vital role in Santos' win over Sport Recife, earning a standing ovation has he exited the field, Neymar will miss the final two games of the Brasileirao season due to the meniscus injury.

Santos see out the campaign with a trip to relegated Juventude next week before the welcome of Cruzeiro in a potential relegation decider in the final round of Brasileirao fixtures. Rivals Vitora follow up their welcome of Mirassol with games against Red Bull Bragantino and Sao Paulo, while Fortaleza take on Corinthians and Botafogo following Sunday's game against Atletico MG.

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Getty Images SportInjury will impact 2026 World Cup spot

Neymar's latest setback may impact his Brazil chances with head coach Carlo Ancelotti previously stating what is required for the 33-year-old to secure his Selecao spot in North America next summer.

"Neymar is on the list of players who can go to the World Cup. He has six months to make the final list," Ancelotti said earlier this month. "Neymar has recovered, but he needs to show performance. When the Brazilian league ends he'll have some vacation time, and then he must show his quality and physical condition again," the Italian stated elsewhere.

The former Barcelona and PSG forward's current Santos deal expires at the end of the year, and the club is in a dilemma over the player's future.

"Neymar’s project is the 2026 World Cup," Santos club President Marcelo Teixeira said recently. "If we find common ground, his continuity will be confirmed. As long as Santos and Neymar, who have a strong and positive understanding of trust, reach a common ground. I believe we will resolve this situation at the right time."

Teams to play one Test and three T20Is, instead of a second Test and ODIs as well

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2025Zimbabwe will host Afghanistan for one Test and three T20Is in October, a reduced itinerary from the two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is that were on the FTP.All four matches will take place at Harare Sports Club, which will host a Test for the first time in four years. Zimbabwe’s last nine home Tests have been played in Bulawayo, and they have lost them all. Zimbabwe have played Afghanistan in four Tests between 2021 and 2025, with one win, two defeats and a draw. Their most recent fixtures were in December-January 2024-25, when Afghanistan won the two-Test series 1-0. They also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in the T20I series and 2-0 in the ODIs.The Test from October 20 to 24 against Afghanistan completes a busy year for Zimbabwe, who are not part of the World Test Championship but are playing 10 matches in 2025. They were initially scheduled to play 11 but ESPNcricinfo understands the second Test against Afghanistan, and the ODIs, will be moved to 2026. The three T20Is will be played on October 29, 31 and November 2.Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has chosen to prioritise T20Is, as the team may need the fixtures to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe are in the semi-finals of the Africa Regional Qualifier, currently underway, and if they beat Kenya on Thursday, will qualify for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February and March. Zimbabwe missed the 2024 T20 World Cup after losing to Uganda in the qualifiers. They have played in only one of the last three T20 World Cups – in 2022 – where they reached the Super 12.Should Zimbabwe secure their spot at the 2026 T20 World Cup, ZC will also seek additional fixtures, with nothing on Zimbabwe’s calendar between November this year and April next year. With all Full Members, except Ireland, occupied over that period, Zimbabwe may look to engage a team like Namibia (also in the semi-finals of the T20 qualifier) and are understood to be considering teams like Netherlands and Nepal for fixtures. After a torrid run earlier in the year, when Zimbabwe lost five T20Is on the bounce, they have now won six of their last nine games.

England and India served up a treat at Lord’s, leaving the series delicately poised. Alan Gardner was joined by Sid Monga and Vish Ehantharajah to discuss what went down

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2025England and India served up a Test match for the ages at Lord’s, one that was eventually won by 22 runs deep into the final day as the hosts took a 2-1 lead with two to play. With the dust still settling on the closest contest of the series, Alan Gardner was joined by Sidharth Monga and Vithushan Ehantharajah to pick through all the goodness – from honours board appearances for Joe Root, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, to Jofra Archer’s comeback, Ravindra Jadeja’s herocis, Ben Stokes’ juju and the welcome return of on-field needle as the tour reaches its pointy end.